i wasn't born in a barn, but i got there as fast as i could.

I am so grateful for this blog hop from I Will Jump Sweet Jumps (and thank you to Carly from Poor Woman Showing for introducing me to a new blog! My computer won’t let me comment, but I lurk and stalk like a creeper.). Because we all need reminders that even when things get crappy, we are total badasses for doing literally anything with horses.

Here are the pics I look at when I need that reminder:

I hadn’t shown in 10 years and Addy had never shown, but we went around the 2’6″ hunters with a smile and had a blast.This was my first time ever in the jumper ring and despite some rough rounds, we eventually made it, and we looked damn good doing it.

I competed in the adult jumpers down in Florida and managed to walk away with some ribbons in a gigantic division. Sometimes I actually know what I’m doing in the ring (and sometimes I get to ride AMAZING horses).A year to the day after our first show in the 2’6″ hunters, I was able to confidently school Addy around a 3′ jumper course and feel like I was actively training, not just piloting her.The very first time I sat on Frankie, my trainer jacked the jumps up and I wasn’t scared to try. Even with a new horse and a new ring, I was able to put together a serviceable course at a height that was intimidating to me.In my very first show on my new horse, which was his first show ever, at a new-to-me height, we figured each other out and got better and better together. It wasn’t perfect by any stretch, but I felt like I was flying.